Super Eagles striker, Victor Boniface, has recounted a light-hearted exchange he once had with legendary Portuguese coach José Mourinho during the Nigerian’s time in Norway.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward revealed the incident took place in October 2021, shortly before AS Roma’s shocking 6-1 defeat to Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.
Boniface, who was on the books of Bodø/Glimt at the time, though sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury, recalled Mourinho’s reaction to the extreme cold in the city of Bodø.
Speaking on The Culture League Podcast, the 23-year-old said:
“I played in Norway, one of the coldest countries in the world. I played for Bodø/Glimt, the city is too small… it’s surrounded by sea. It is freezing.
Mourinho came to the pitch, walked inside, took his phone, recorded everything and posted: ‘This is the situation, we’re about to play, very cold.’
Boniface added that he cheekily responded to Mourinho’s post at the time, not knowing how far his career would go.
“He posted it. I commented on that same post because I didn’t know I’d be at this level today. I said to him, ‘You never see anything.’”
odø/Glimt went on to stun Mourinho’s Roma side with a 6-1 victory, handing the former Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan boss one of the heaviest defeats of his career.
Although Boniface did not feature in the match due to injury, he would later establish himself as one of Nigeria’s brightest attacking talents, helping Bayer Leverkusen to a historic Bundesliga title in the 2023/24 season.
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